Management Skills

It has happened to me only once in my 20-year career. But once was enough! I had a group of about 20 people who either really didnt want to be there or thought that a day of training off-site was the equivalent of a holiday. They all acted up and acted out. They didnt pay attention; they carried on conversations among themselves; they laughed at their own private jokes. One latecomer started berating everyone who was to blame for him being late (which didnt manage to include himself, of course) and the group egged him on and fed his frustration. At only 10:00 in the morning, I was ready to throw in the towel.

While I dont wish this kind of classroom chaos on any trainer, its good to be prepared for it. Heres what I learned from that day and what saved me.

First of all, I employed active and empathetic listening with the frustrated latecomer. I let him vent and I commiserated with him. I wanted him to feel like his complaints (not entirely valid) were heard.

But as the group became increasingly out of control, I realized a broader strategy was needed. I knew I had to invoke the commitment of the group, or the day would be a lost cause. So I called for a break to let everyone get refreshed. When we reconvened, I had flip chart in the front of the room with one word written on it: “Commitment.”

I then stated as objectively as possible some of the behaviors Id noticed that morning and why it made me draw the conclusion that they didnt want to be there. I needed to know if they did want to be there.�If not, we could just adjourn right then (they, of course, would have a difficult time explaining to their management why they all jumped ship). If however, they did want to be there, I wanted to hear what they wanted to get out of it and how we might best achieve their objectives. And then I wanted their stated commitment to make it happen.

This strategy transformed that group. While the objectives they outlined were precisely the objectives stated for the training, and the things they hoped to learn were my stated outcomes for the course, their ability to feel like they had some control in shaping the program empowered them. I no longer had to deal with problem participants. They became a committed team devoted to achieving the objectives of this program.

Some trainers create “learning contracts” with their participants. While Ive never done that myself – I figure one out-of-control group in 20 years is not a trend – it could certainly be some leverage for a trainer who might encounter a room full of difficult people.�A learning contract might look something like this:

As a participant in the XYZ training program, I hereby commit to:

• Respect others and remain open-minded.
• Maintain a positive attitude.
• Be aware of barriers to communication and strive to overcome them.
• Understand and contribute to group process.
• Be willing to express my views.
• Listen actively to others – hear and understand.
• Analyze – not destructively criticize – what I hear.
• Be willing to work toward achieving group goals.

Training works best when everyone is committed to its outcomes.

Barbara Busey has had her own training business since 1990 and developed her own proprietary presentation skills program, The Compelling Speaker. She now offers the Compelling Speaker Certification, a turnkey system — complete with training content & technique, business strategies, and marketing guidelines — that positions communicators to make a living training other business professionals to become more compelling speakers. Go to http://www.compellingspeakercertification.com to learn more about this unique business opportunity and sign up for the special report, “Do You Have What it Takes to Run Your Own Training Business?”

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